ExpressRail, the Port Authority’s rail system serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals, has achieved a major milestone by handling its 5 millionth shipping container since the rail facility opened in 1991, the agency announced today.

Through May, there were 5,033,047 cargo containers moved by the rail system since it opened on Maher Terminals as an environmentally friendly way to transport cargo other than by truck.

The 5 million containers handled by ExpressRail removed more than 8 million truck trips from the region’s highways. The air quality benefits from this reduction in truck trips are estimated at 4,400 tons of nitrous oxide, 88 tons of particulate matter and 480,000 tons of greenhouse gas.

“We’re proud of the phenomenal growth of our port rail business that provide shippers with a modern, cost effective, and environmentally friendly way to move their goods to market,” said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. “This is just one of the many amenities our port provides to attract international shippers to our port.”

The agency’s first ExpressRail terminal opened in 1991 and was operated by Maher Terminals.

Since that time, the Port Authority has invested $600 million to expand the original terminal to an 18-track facility that straddles the APM and Maher Terminals at the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminals. In addition, the Port Authority built a second lead rail track that allows trains to move into and out of the ExpressRail Elizabeth facility at the same time. ExpressRail facilities also serve the Port Newark Container Terminal and the New York Container Terminal on Staten Island.

In addition, the Port Authority completed construction in 2009 on a rail support facility along Corbin Street that can handle four 10,000-foot trains daily. A bridge also was opened in May to link the Port Newark Container Terminal with its rail facility on the western side of Corbin Street, which greatly improves the flow of truck traffic carrying containers to the trains.

CONTACT: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 212-435-7777

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.